Someone I Used to Know
by scarletsleuth
Summary: Marinette's class has to do a project on their family tree. Marinette discovers things from her grandmother's past that make her question everything she knew about her. Adrien visits his Grandfather for his project when Felix decides to reveal he knows who Chat Noir is. Bridgette visits her granddaughter while doing a favor when The Unraveler appears to rewind the clock.


"Alya, this assignment is a killer," Marinette groaned as she flopped on her bed with her phone still attached to her ear. "A complete family tree? Most of my mom's family lives in Shanghai, and my grand mere doesn't speak to her other relatives as it is."

"Girl, relax," Alya responded through the phone. "I'm sure both of your parents have stuff lying around in the storage unit right?" Marinette bolted upright with a wide grin.

"Huh! Thanks, Alya!" Marinette exclaimed as she hung up the phone dashing down the stairs to the Dupain Bakery below their apartment. "Mom, can I have the key for the storage unit?"

"Yes, but whatever for Marinette." Sabine, her mother looked up from the register at her daughter who leaned over the railing.

"It's for my school project." Marinette finished making her way down the stairs pecking her mom on her cheek taking the keys from her. "Thanks, mom!"

"If you are going to be down there clean it as well Marinette." Tom peeked out from the kitchen to call after Marinette.

"That's fair! Love you both, bye!" Marinette called to them as she exited the bakery down the street.

"Should we tell her about the surprise yet?" Tom asked his wife who grinned in response.

"I think it will be better if we have a clean storage unit and a happy girl." Sabine pointed as she and Tom locked up the bakery to drive to the airport.

\\\\\\\\\\\Marinette observed her surroundings as she heads downtown to the Paris Storage Units. Today so far had been free of any sign of Akuma attacks which made her let out a sigh of relief.

"What is in the storage unit you need Marinette?" Tikki asked cheerfully, popping her head out of Marinette's purse.

"Well, most of the stuff in the storage unit belongs to my mom," Marinette explained with a wave of her hand. "My mom came here to attend college and she took a lot of family heirlooms and traditional items with her. Mom leaving Zumu was very hard for her to do. Zumu raised my mom all on her own so for her to leave it was a hard thing."

"Do you hear from your grand mere often?" Tikki asked curiously from where she sat on Marinette's shoulder. She bundled into her neck for warmth as they walked down the aisles of the storage units.

"Sometimes." Marinette tapped her chin scanning the unit numbers. "I've only met her once when I was six. We stayed with her in Shanghai for a month so I had the opportunity to see my mom's side of the family. I only hear from her through letters, unfortunately."

"And your grand pere?" Tikki asked gently as they stopped in front of a storage unit similar to the rest of the lot.

"I only know from my mom he was never in the picture," Marinette turned to Tikki with a grin. "I never pushed for details as it made mom upset, but it has always been her and Zumu." Marinette looked at the number on the key matching it with the storage unit letting out an excited shout doing a little cheer.

"Found it!" She exclaimed as she opened the lock opening the storage unit to reveal a box wall with a small tunnel at the bottom. "Why?"

"We'd better get started Marinette." Tikki suggested flying into the tunnel in the boxes.

* * *

"Do you have an appointment?" Lucille, Felix's assistant asked Adrien as she glanced up at him from her desk at the main floor of the Miss Fortune Business Agency.

"Lucille, it's me. Adrien Agreste?" Adrien reminded her kindly as he ran a hand through his blond hair. "Felix Agreste's grandson?"

"Mr. Agreste wasn't expecting company today, Adrien." Lucille gave a timid, kind smile as she looked up at him. She was fairly young maybe only 23 at most with pretty red hair that hung above her shoulders. "Let me see if I can fit you in. He's been very busy."

"Psst, Adrien," Plagg whispered from his pocket. "Does your grandfather have any camembert?"

"Plagg, shh." Adrien hushed him giving Lucille a nervous smile when she looked at him questioningly. She was about to speak when a gruff voice came over the phone's speaker.

" _What?_ " Felix spoke gruffly from the machine startling Lucille.

"You have a visitor, sir."

"I have no meetings until 2," He spoke irritably. "Send them away."

"But sir it's your grandson," Lucille cleared her throat when no response came from the machine. "Adrien?"

"Yes, I'm well aware of what my grandson's name is, Lucille," Felix replied sarcastically after a pregnant pause. "Send him up. What are you waiting for?"

"Y-yes, sir." Lucille stammered hanging up on him. She turned to Adrien flustered gesturing toward the elevators. "You know the way."

"Thank you, Lucille." Adrien thanked the shaking secretary before continuing his way to the elevator pressing the top floor. "I'm sure I can find you some camembert Plagg but let me take care of this project first."

"What's with this family mojo that you can't talk to your father about?" Plagg flew on his back around Adrien's head as the two listened to the elevator music play around them.

"My father doesn't have time for me. He's too self-absorbed in his own work." Adrien sighed looking to the side at Plagg. "My grandfather isn't exactly the nicest of people but no matter what it is he's always made time for me. "

"Yes, he seems like a bundle of happiness.''

"Once at the age of six I fell ill when my parents were in America promoting father's fashion line. My grandfather was at an important business meeting when Nathalie called in a panic about my fever. Grandfather cut the meeting short and took care of me for the rest of the week until my parents returned." Adrien explained scratching the back of his head as the elevator doors opened to reveal an extravagant hallway.

As Adrien pressed his knuckles to the double doors to knock a young man in his thirties burst out of Felix's office bawling his eyes out running blindly to the elevator.

"He definitely deserves a grandfather of the year award." Plagg murmured sarcastically in his ear, slipping into his book bag swiftly.

"You going to stand there and gape or come in?" A gruff voice asked from behind a pile of neatly stacked papers on the mahogany desk.

"Oh, sorry Grandpere." Adrien stepped into the large office gripping his bag tightly, he moved in front of the desk taking a seat in the armchair. "This isn't a bad time is it?"

Felix moved the stack of papers aside, his gray-blue eyes gazed into Adrien's green ones intently. He gave a smirk as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

"You're always welcome here, Adrien." Felix sat his paper down, slyly he glanced down at his pocket watch hanging from a chain at his breast. "What do you need?"

"Well, our school history project is in our family tree," Adrien spoke with excitement as he opened his satchel extracting a pencil and journal, placing it on his lap he looked up eagerly. "I was wondering what you can tell me about our family."

"My father was a workaholic and abuser of alcohol, and my mother was a floozy. Anything else?" Felix sighed leaning back into his leather swivel chair.

Adrien blushed softly as he looked up at his grandfather again.

"I was actually wondering about the lady who constructed your pocket watch."

"No way."

"I need something that is close to our family to bring in," Adrien persuaded running a hand through his golden hair nervously. "I would bring something of mom's, but Dad won't let me take something of hers."

Felix sighed as he examined the watch, he glanced at Adrien before leaning down to open the drawer. Adrien watched curiously as heard the creaking of a safe opening, suddenly a soft, navy blue fabric covered his vision leaving him blind.

"Take this," Felix suggested locking the safe again as he glanced up to watch Adrien pull the scarf from his eyes in surprise. "I've kept that scarf for over 70 years. Take care of it for me will you."

"Who's Bridgette Cheng?" Adrien asked reading the stitching on the bottom, glances up to see a faded look on his grandfather's face.

"An old friend. She's the one who made me this watch." Felix snapped open the watch to reveal a vintage photo of a Chinese teenager smiling brightly as she extended her arms wide in a spin on what Adrien recalled was Pont Neuf. Her dark eyes sparkled faintly which made Adrien feel deja vu.

Plagg gasped quietly from Adrien's breast pocket as he peeked out stealthily to see the photo. "Bridgette."

Felix raised an eyebrow, "Did you say something, Adrien?'

"Oh, nothing!" Adrien nervously laughed as he gently tucked the scarf away in his bag.

"Well, is there anything else you need?"

"Oh no, Grandfather," Adrien grinned placing his items away as quickly as possible scratching the back of his head nervously. "That's all for today, but could I come back tomorrow?"

"If you would like you can come around 5 and stay for dinner," Felix asked as he opened a silver tray with a small wheel of camembert in the center in all its stinky glory. "Would Plagg like anything?"

Adrien stiffened as he quickly looked up with surprise and fear.

"What?"

"I can smell the bad luck just pouring from your bag," Felix pushed the tray forward as he leaned back in his chair. "Honestly, Adrien you think I don't notice when you abruptly leave the same time Chat Noir is needed? I'm slightly hurt."

Plagg flies out from Adrien's pocket whom of the latter was still in shock his mouth left agape slightly, floats a foot in front of Felix's smug face with a smug grin of his own.

"Hello, Trash."

"Hello, _Malchance."_ Plagg retorted as he sat on top of the camembert, taking a bite out of the wheel with a notorious smirk.

* * *

"Mom are you sure you don't want to unpack first?" Sabine asked as she glanced in the rearview mirror from where she sat next to her husband Tom who was driving back to their apartment, Bridgette played with the red ribbon in her hands, twisting and untwisting it tightly making her knuckles white.

"I would like to see the city, Sabine," Bridgette smiled at her daughter as she gazed out the window with an awestruck expression. "It's been so long."

"I guess we have the time since Marinette is working on her school project," Sabine conversed watching her elderly mother from her seat. "But I wish you gave us a better warning of coming."

"What would be the fun in that now, Sabine." Bridgette grinned as tied the ribbon into a bow on her frail wrist. "Besides I wanted to surprise Marinette. I haven't seen her since she was four at most and that was when you came to visit me."

"Where do you want to go first, mom?" Tom asked as he continued driving down the streets of Paris.

"I change my mind," Bridgette's dark eyes sparkled as she looked at the married couple. " I want to see Marinette first instead. I'll let her take me to see the city."

"Now, Sabine."

"Yes, mother?"

"What is all this business about this Ladybug heroine?" Bridgette asked curiously as she reached into the purse at her side to stroke a necklace case.

"She is a female superheroine that has been protecting Paris for the past year now," Sabine informed Bridgette who watched curiously the first of the two intensely. "Ladybug also has a partner, a male superhero named Chat Noir. They are an unstoppable team from what the news has directed at us."

Bridgette smiled brightly as she studied the city she had once called home all those years ago. Gently, she gripped the necklace box in her fist running over the writing with her fingertips. _Don't worry, Trixx. You'll be returned soon._


End file.
